An “on demand” or “utility” server model is currently known. In this model, a customer does not own, possess or maintain servers, such as computer hardware, operating system and certain middleware (when part of a predefined “on demand” solution), which execute the customer's applications. Rather, a vendor owns, possesses and maintains the servers which execute the customer's applications. Typically, the vendor offers one or more standard server solutions for all customers. The vendor's servers may be dedicated to one customer or shared by multiple customers using one of many known virtualization techniques. Known virtualization techniques include VMWare (tm of VMWare Inc.), virtualization on IBM xSeries or IBM Blade Center servers (based on Microsoft Windows operating systems) and AIX operating system's logical partitioning capabilities on IBM's pSeries servers. The sharing of servers reduces cost when a single customer does not have enough workload to occupy a full server or when different customers have different times of peak utilization. Each server has standardized hardware (including processors, memory, storage, etc.), standardized platform software (including operating systems, management software, middleware), and applications for use by the customer(s).
There are customer-specific applications such as airline reservation software, banking software, etc., and general purpose applications such as database applications. The customer is typically responsible for maintaining its own application(s). Each customer accesses its own applications from the vendor's servers via a network such as a virtual private network, point to point network, ISDN, frame relay network or the World Wide Web. The vendor measures or meters each customer's use of the vendor's server resources and charges each customer based on the customer's use such as the amount (number of gigabytes) of assigned disk storage and the number of CPU Hours that the customer utilizes during the month. The vendor also charges the customer for “fixed costs” such as the number of dedicated servers or logical partitions on which the customer's application(s) execute.
Before a new customer is added to “on demand” or “utility” environment, typically an operator estimates how much server hardware and software the customer will need steady state and peak, the peak demand times, and how much and what type of server resources, if any, need to be added to the pool to satisfy the new customer. Typically the customer currently owns its own servers, and the vendor considers the capacity of the customer's current servers and their percent of utilization to estimate the customer's current server needs. If the new customer requires dedicated servers, then the vendor will commission these, and install and execute the customer applications on these new servers. If the new customer can share an existing vendor server, then the new customer's application can be installed and executed in a shared mode, typically on separate LPAR(s), on the existing vendor server.
It was also known that in some cases where the customer is currently using two or more of its own servers, these can be consolidated into one dedicated server in an “on demand” or “utility” model. For example, if the customer was only using a small percentage of the capacity of its current servers, these may be consolidated into one vendor server of similar or equal power in an “on demand” or “utility” model. The cost savings result from a reduction in (a) number of operating systems, (b) virtual memory, (c) real memory, (d) swap disk space, (e) system management software licenses, (f) customer application software licenses, (g) systems administration and support, (h) floor space, and/or (i) electricity and cooling costs.
An object of the present invention is to provide a technique to estimate the server resources required by a new or existing customer in an “on demand” or “utility” delivery and billing solution.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a technique to estimate cost effective server resources required by a new or existing customer in an “on demand” or “utility” delivery and billing solution.